Lower body garment with removable, detachable, and interchangeable sleeves

ABSTRACT

A lower body garment, used primarily for athletic and fitness activities, is disclosed as capable of attaching a plurality of sleeves for stylization and customization. The lower body garment includes an upper opening, and two lower openings, and can contain an attachment mechanism circumscribed about each opening. A detachable sleeve with an attachment mechanism that is circumscribed about an opening thereof and configured to mate with an attachment mechanism located on the lower body garment provides for the attachment of the sleeve to the garment. A plurality of sleeves can also be attached in a chain like manner through attachment mechanisms circumscribed about the upper and lower opening of each sleeve. In this manner, the wearer can customize the look and style of the lower body garment by varying the types of sleeves attached.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional App. No. 62/493,544, filed Jul. 8, 2016, which is incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to athletic garments for the lower body, and, more particularly, to athletic pants and/or leggings capable of attaching and/or detaching various types of sleeves.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of athletic pants, which include leggings and yoga pants, have become extremely popular in today's market for its benefits, such as comfort and flexibility, when worn not only for fitness related activities at places like health clubs and yoga classes, but even for everyday activities. The leggings, commonly referred to as “tights,” are a type of skin-tight, form-fitting garment that covers the lower half of the body in a pant-like manner, and may be worn by men, women, and children. Yoga pants, are similarly form-fitting, but are slightly more loose than the leggings, with a key characteristic being flexibility.

Considering the number of days a week a person could allocate for fitness or other physically demanding activities, the person would naturally want to vary the style worn each day just as one may desire to wear different styles of clothing to work or school in a given week. As such, the athletic pants can vary in length, which include ending below the knee or being full length, and are also available in a multitude of fabrics, colors, and decorative designs. Generally, however, athletic pants are provided as one continuous piece such that a wearer is committed to the particular style, color, patterns, texture and length of a given product. In order for the consumer to vary the style, length, and overall look of the athletic pants worn, the only option is to purchase multiple types that provide a variety of combinations of physical and stylish attributes.

It should be appreciated that there remains a need to vary the style, colors and length of athletic pants without the cost burden of purchasing a multitude of such athletic pants. The present invention fulfills this need and others.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, and in general terms, the invention is embodied in a lower body garment that can be customized and stylized. The lower body garment defines an upper (waist) opening and two lower (leg) openings, and provides for the ability to attach one or more detachable sleeves to one or both lower openings. The lower body garment may be made of a form-fitting material. The lower body garment may include an attachment mechanism, circumscribed about a lower opening that can mate with a corresponding attachment mechanism circumscribed about an upper opening of a detachable sleeve. The joinder of attachment mechanisms between the lower opening and detachable sleeve can be hidden and provides for a smooth transition between the two pieces of garment. Thus the wearer can customize the overall look of the lower body garment when worn by attaching different styles of detachable sleeves.

More specifically, in an exemplary embodiment, the detachable sleeves that can be attached to the lower body garment can vary in texture, pattern, material, and size, which provides for converting the lower body garment into different styles of pants, such as Capri pants or full length pants.

In a detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment, the detachable sleeves can be further attached to other detachable sleeves in a chain like manner by providing an attachment mechanism circumscribed about both openings of each sleeve. Thus the wearer is able to further customize the overall look of the worn pants by varying different combinations of styles of detachable sleeves attached to each lower opening.

In another detailed aspect of an exemplary embodiment, the lower body garment may have an attachment mechanism circumscribed about the upper opening of the lower body garment to provide for an attachment of a detachable sleeve that contains a corresponding attachment mechanism.

In yet another detailed aspect of the exemplary embodiment, the aforementioned attachment mechanisms described may be of any fastener type, and can include the use of snap fasteners, buttons and buttonholes, zippers, laces, magnets, and hook-and-loop fasteners which include the Velcro® brand. Said attachment mechanisms can include any number of such fastener types, and be disposed along the edge of the corresponding opening of the lower body garment or detachable sleeve.

For purposes of summarizing the invention and the advantages achieved over the prior art, certain advantages of the invention have been described herein. Of course, it is to be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention may be embodied or carried out in a manner that achieves or optimizes one advantage or group of advantages as taught herein without necessarily achieving other advantages as may be taught or suggested herein.

All of these embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention herein disclosed. These and other embodiments of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments having reference to the attached figures, the invention not being limited to any particular preferred embodiment disclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a lower body garment in accordance with the present invention, depicting an upper opening, two lower openings, an attachment mechanism circumscribed about the lower openings, detachable sleeves with an attachment mechanism circumscribed about upper openings thereof.

FIG. 2 is a close-up front perspective view of the lower body garment of FIG. 1, depicting the attachment mechanism circumscribed about the interior surface of one lower opening, and the attachment mechanism circumscribed about the exterior surface of an upper opening of a detachable sleeve

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the lower body garment of FIG.1, depicting two detachable sleeves of different lengths and patterns, attached and detached from the pair of pants, and with one of the sleeves containing attachment mechanisms circumscribe about both the upper and lower openings.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are front perspective views of the lower body garment of FIG.1 depicting an attachment mechanism circumscribing about the upper opening thereof, and a detachable sleeve with an attachment mechanism at a lower opening thereof, and further the detachable sleeve shown as attached and detached with the lower body garment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, and particularly FIG. 1, there is shown a lower body garment 10, or more particularly, athletic pants including leggings and yoga pants, having an upper opening 12 and two lower openings 14 (FIG.1 shows only one lower opening since the other is hidden). The upper opening is defined to configure around a middle body region, generally proximate to the hip area of a body. The lower openings are defined to configure around a leg of a wearer, which in the exemplary embodiment depicts the lower opening as configured below the knee; however, other embodiments can configure the lower opening around other portions of the leg, including but not limited to the mid-calf, and ankle. Each lower opening 14 contains a first attachment mechanism 16 circumscribed about the edge 18 of each lower opening 14. There is also shown a first detachable sleeve 20 which contains a second attachment mechanism 22 circumscribed about the edge of an upper opening of said sleeve. The sleeve 20 is shown as detached, and attached 24 from a lower opening 14, which in the exemplary embodiment depicts the attachment 24 wherein the sleeve as inserted into the lower opening 14 where the second attachment mechanism 22 is coupled with the first attachment mechanism 16. Thus, the first detachable sleeve 20 forms an extension of the lower body garment 10, and thereby enabling the user to vary the overall look of a lower body garment through the attachment of different types of sleeves (further described below).

With continued reference to FIG. 1, the lower body garment 10 can be athletic pants, which may be worn for physical activities, including but not limited to physical activities at health clubs, yoga classes, and other indoor/outdoor everyday activities. In the exemplary embodiment, the lower body garment 10 is a type of elastic and form-fitting garment, commonly known as leggings, that are typically made from a blend of lycra, spandex, nylon, cotton, polyester, and other materials of the like. Leggings can further be manufactured with tape welded seams and/or are flat-locked stitched so as to allow more flexibility for the wearer, including the ability to stretch in all directions. An alternate embodiment features yoga pants, which are flexible and form-fitting, and generally made from a similar blend of materials and manufacturing method as listed above for leggings.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the exemplary embodiment shows the first attachment mechanism 16 as affixed and disposed about the interior edge 18 of a lower opening 14, while the second attachment mechanism 22 is shown as affixed and disposed about the exterior edge of an upper sleeve 20 opening. Other embodiments however can vary the location of the first and second attachment mechanisms. The exemplary embodiment further displays the first and second attachment mechanisms 16,22 as snap fasteners. It should be appreciated that other embodiments can include other types of fasteners for attachment mechanisms, including but not limited to buttons and buttonholes, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners (e.g., such as those sold under the Velcro® brand by Velcro USA, Inc.), laces, and magnets. More particularly, in the exemplary embodiment, the first attachment mechanism 16 is shown as the “male” part of the snap fastener, while the second attachment mechanism 22 is shown as the “female” part of the snap fastener, such that the second attachment mechanism 22 is configured to receive the first attachment mechanism 16. It should be appreciated that other embodiments can interchangeably locate the male and female parts of a snap attachment between the first and second attachment mechanisms 16,22. Similarly, for other embodiments, the different parts of a given fastener can be interchangeably located between the first and second attachment mechanisms 16,22. For example, where buttons are used as the type of fastener, the first and second attachment mechanisms may contain any combination of buttons and buttonholes, provided that each button has a corresponding buttonhole between the two attachment mechanisms.

Additionally, the exemplary embodiment shows that the snap fasteners for the first and second attachment mechanisms 16,22 are sown to the respective body, as a means of affixing said fasteners. However, in other embodiments, other means of affixing said fasteners to the respective body may be used, including but not limited to the use of seam welding tape, fabric glue, and rivets.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the exemplary embodiment shows the lower opening 14, with a first attachment mechanism 16, a first detachable sleeve 26, and a second detachable sleeve 28, which are shown as detached for one lower opening 14, and attached 38,40 for another lower opening. In the exemplary embodiment, the first detachable sleeve 26 contains a second attachment mechanism 30 circumscribed about the upper opening thereof, for joinder with a first attachment mechanism 16. The first detachable sleeve 26 also contains a third attachment mechanism 32 circumscribed about a lower opening 34 thereof. The third attachment mechanism 32 can subsequently be coupled to the second detachable sleeve 28, which contains a fourth attachment mechanism 36 circumscribed about the upper opening thereof. In the exemplary embodiment, the second detachable sleeve 28 is inserted into the lower opening 34 of the first detachable sleeve 26.

The sleeves as shown attached 38,40 provide an extension to the lower body garment 10, and thereby provides for further customization by attaching different detachable sleeves to a given lower opening 14. It should be appreciated that other embodiments can vary the order and number of sleeves attached to a given lower opening 14. For example, in another embodiment, a plurality of sleeves, each with an upper and lower attachment mechanism located in the upper and lower openings respectively thereof, can be connected to one in another in a chain like manner by coupling the upper attachment mechanism of one sleeve with the lower attachment mechanism of another sleeve. This chain of sleeves can be attached to a lower opening 14 for a desirable customization and size of a lower body garment 10. It should also be appreciated that, as disclosed in the above paragraph, other embodiments can vary the type of fasteners used for the plurality of attachment mechanisms present amongst the upper and lower openings.

With continued reference to FIG. 3. it should be appreciated that the plurality of sleeves that can be attached to the lower body garment 10 can all be of different texture, design, pattern, materials, and size with either the lower body garment 10 or any of the other sleeves attached together. Furthermore, the plurality of sizes of the sleeves provide for the user to convert the lower body garment 10 into different types of pants, including but not limited to Capri sleeve pants, a ⅞ sleeve pants, a full sleeve pants, and a flare sleeve pants.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the exemplary embodiment shows the lower body garment 10 with a third attachment means 44 circumscribed about the upper opening 12. There is also shown a second detachable sleeve 42 that contains a fourth attachment mechanism 48 that is circumscribed about bottom opening thereof. Further, the second detachable sleeve 42 is shown as being detached with the upper opening 12, and attached 50 with the upper opening 12 wherein the second detachable sleeve 42 is inserted within the upper opening 12. It should also be appreciated that, as disclosed in a previous paragraph, other embodiments can vary the type of fasteners used for the plurality of attachment mechanisms present amongst the upper opening 12 and second detachable sleeve 42. Moreover, the second detachable sleeve 42 can differ from the lower body garment 10 in texture, design, pattern, or materials.

It should be appreciated from the foregoing that the present invention provides a lower body garment that can be customized through the attachment of a plurality of sleeves to one or both lower openings. The lower body garment include a plurality of attachment mechanisms circumscribed about the bottom edge of each lower opening, which can couple with a corresponding attachment mechanism circumscribed about the edge of an upper opening of a detachable sleeve. Each lower opening can further be attached with a plurality of sleeves, connected to one another in a chain like manner, and said plurality of sleeves can be of different size, texture, pattern and materials from one another. The lower body garment allows for further customization through the attachment of a detachable sleeve to the upper opening, using the attachment mechanisms circumscribed about the upper opening and a detachable sleeve. Moreover, the attachment mechanisms can be a variety of types of fasteners.

The present invention has been described above in terms of presently preferred embodiments so that an understanding of the present invention can be conveyed. However, there are other embodiments not specifically described herein for which the present invention is applicable. Therefore, the present invention should not to be seen as limited to the forms shown, which is to be considered illustrative rather than restrictive. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A lower body garment comprising: a garment body comprising of an elastic form-fitting material, said body defining: an upper opening to configure around a middle body region proximate to the hip of a wearer, and two lower openings each sized to configure around a leg of the wearer; each lower opening containing a first attachment mechanism circumscribed about said lower opening; and a first detachable sleeve with an second attachment mechanism circumscribed about an upper opening thereof, the first attachment mechanism and the second attachment mechanism configured to mate together.
 2. The lower body garment defined in claim 1, further comprising a second detachable sleeve with a third attachment mechanism circumscribed about an upper opening thereof, the first attachment mechanism and third attachment mechanism configured to mate together.
 3. The lower body garment defined in claim 1, further comprising: the first detachable sleeve with a third attachment mechanism circumscribed about the bottom opening thereof; and a plurality of detachable sleeves each with an upper and lower attachment mechanism circumscribed about the upper and lower openings thereof respectively, said lower attachment mechanisms of any said plurality of sleeves configured to mate with the upper attachment mechanisms of any said plurality of sleeves and/or with the third attachment mechanism.
 4. The lower body garment defined in claim 1, further comprising: a third attachment mechanism circumscribing about the garment body upper opening; and a second detachable sleeve with a fourth attachment mechanism circumscribing about the bottom opening thereof, the third attachment mechanism and fourth attachment mechanism configured to mate together.
 5. The lower body garment defined claim 1, wherein the attachment mechanisms can be one of snap fastener type, buttons and buttonhole type, or hook-and-loop fastener type.
 6. A lower body garment comprising: a garment body comprising of a flexible form-fitting material, said body defining: an upper opening to configure around a middle body region proximate to the hip of a wearer, and two lower openings each sized to configure around a leg of the wearer; each lower opening containing a first attachment mechanism circumscribed about said lower opening; and a first detachable sleeve with an second attachment mechanism circumscribed about an upper opening thereof, the first attachment mechanism and the second attachment mechanism configured to mate together.
 7. The lower body garment defined in claim 6, further comprising a second detachable sleeve with a third attachment mechanism circumscribed about an upper opening thereof, the first attachment mechanism and third attachment mechanism configured to mate together.
 8. The lower body garment defined in claim 6, further comprising: the first detachable sleeve with a third attachment mechanism circumscribed about the bottom opening thereof; a plurality of detachable sleeves each with an upper and lower attachment mechanism circumscribed about the upper and lower openings thereof respectively, said lower attachment mechanisms of any said plurality of sleeves configured to mate with the upper attachment mechanisms of any said plurality of sleeves and/or with the third attachment mechanism.
 9. The lower body garment defined in claim 6, further comprising: a third attachment mechanism circumscribing about the garment body upper opening; and a second detachable sleeve with a fourth attachment mechanism circumscribing about the bottom opening thereof, the third attachment mechanism and fourth attachment mechanism configured to mate together.
 10. The lower body garment defined claim 6, wherein the attachment mechanisms can be one of snap fastener type, buttons and buttonhole type, or hook-and-loop fastener type. 